


A Point and A Grin

by zimmiebitty (Angelwithwingsoffire)



Category: Check Please! (Webcomic)
Genre: Coming Out, Established Relationship, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-01
Updated: 2016-07-01
Packaged: 2018-07-19 09:42:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,569
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7355926
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Angelwithwingsoffire/pseuds/zimmiebitty
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It all started as a joke. It really did. But now? Now it’s one of the most famous celly’s in hockey. Because it’s not even a celly. All it is a point and a grin.</p>
            </blockquote>





	A Point and A Grin

“I don’t want you to go.” Jack whispered into Bitty’s neck.

Bitty smiled, hugging Jack tightly, rubbing his back with one hand and holding his neck with the other. “Sweetheart, I’ll be back before you know it.”

“It always feels bigger when you aren’t here to fill the space.” Jack sighed. “Are you sure you can’t stay till tonight for the game?”

“No.” Bitty sighed. “I have to get back and help Chowder with this project of his. But I promise to watch the game tonight.”

“We both know everyone in the house will be watching it.”

Bitty smiled. “We love to support our teammate.”

“And by that you mean that you make pie and everyone loves pie.”

“I did not say that.”

Jack laughed. “You’re coming back this weekend though?”

“Definitely.” Bitty nodded. “But Chowder had to put this off until the weekend before it’s due and if I don’t help him I know he’s going to fail.”

“Then go, Captain Bittle, leave your poor boyfriend alone in this big empty house to pamper your adopted son.” Jack teased, not even bothering to let go of Bitty’s hips.

Bitty grinned. “Score for me tonight.”

Jack smiled back. “Always.”

Bitty used his hold on Jack’s neck to pull him down in a kiss. “Love you.”

“I love you too.” Jack responded when Bitty pulled back and out of Jack’s grip. “Miss you already.”

Bitty just rolled his eyes, waving goodbye as he snuck out of the house. He’d see Jack again soon, in about five hours when his team played on television.

* * *

 

That night, after helping Chowder start and finish putting together a complete model of a carbon cycle in an aquatic ecosystem, Bitty was sitting in the Samwell Hockey Haus, ready to watch his boyfriend play professional hockey. He and Jack had come out to the Frogs and the Tadpoles, still called that despite being juniors and sophomores now, at the start of the year, after the others had been told at the end of the previous year, so Bitty was able to sit in the living room in his signed Zimmermann jersey (that might be an actual jersey that got ripped and therefore George let Jack ‘steal’ for his boyfriend) and watch the game. Only the Frogs and the Tadpoles, plus important significant others, were in the room with him so he could be as lovey as he wanted.

“I still cannot believe you hid this from us for a year.” Dex laughed. “You are literally the most obnoxiously in love person ever.”

“Says half of the dumbest pair on campus who took an entire year to realize they were in love.” Bitty shot back.

Dex glared at him, sticking his tongue out.

Bitty laughed and stuck his tongue out as well.

“Put that away before I bite it.” Nursey sighed.

“Kinky.” Farmer commented from the armchair where she and Chowder were curled up.

“I did not need to know what my children do in the bedroom!” Bitty exclaimed, covering his ears and pushing his red face into the pillow in his lap.

“Well then I won’t get into what Chowder and I do.” Farmer grinned.

“Babe!” Chowder exclaimed.

“I said I wasn’t gonna mention it!” She defended herself.

Chowder groaned and Dex and Nursey just laughed.

“You guys have some weird habits.” The small boy squished on the couch between Tango and Whiskey sighed. “Why am I here?”

“Because, Foxy, Tango and Whiskey didn’t want you to leave them alone with us.” Nursey grinned. “And they miss you.”

“Please call me Dylan.” ‘Foxy’ sighed.

“Dylan Fox, I am sorry but by dating our children you have given up the right to your first name.” Dex told him. “Lax bro code.”

Dylan sighed. “Whatever.”

“Shush up.” Whiskey smiled at him. “You love us enough to deal with them, right?”

Dylan sighed again. “Yes.”

“You three are so cute!” Bitty exclaimed, he had his phone out and pointing towards them, obviously taking a photo for Twitter.

Dylan just lifted a hand and flipped him off.

Bitty laughed, taking it in stride. “Oh! The third period’s about to start!”

The whole room fell silent again, for the time being, as the game was started up again.

Halfway through the period is when it happened, Jack got a beautiful pass from Alexei and sent it speeding right across the blue and into the back of the net. The camera caught the fist bump that followed between Jack and Tater and then, with a grin on his face, Jack turned straight towards the cameras and pointed. He held it for a moment, making it obvious to everyone that it was a message, before he moved away again, ready to keep playing.

In the Haus, everyone in the room was laughing as Bitty turned red as a tomato and giggled furiously that Jack had actually just _scored a goal for him_. He had no doubt in his mind that that is exactly what Jack meant by the pointing. He was saying _‘For you, Bitty. Only you.’_ And god Bitty loved it.

 

* * *

 

 

After that, the pointing became a thing. Every time Bitty talked to Jack before a game, which was before nearly every game, he would tell Jack to get a goal for him. And when Jack did, which wasn’t always because sometimes it just didn’t work, Jack would immediately find the cameras and point with the same wide grin on his face.

The change in habit was driving the sports commentators nuts trying to figure out. Hockey players are suspicious creatures and don’t change habits without reason. So what they were all trying to figure out is: why did Jack Zimmermann, the player who did nothing but stare at the goalie after each made goal last season, suddenly start pointing at the camera every time he scored. And how in the world was he scoring so much more this season? There was only one answer that anyone could agree upon: Jack Zimmermann had gone and got himself a girlfriend that he was giving the goals to every night. And they weren’t far off the mark.

 

* * *

 

“I cannot believe they still haven’t got it.” Bitty laughed, curled up against Jack’s side at his house in Providence, watching the sports center commentators once again show a series of Jack pointing at the camera before the clip from tonight played, again, showing Jack pointing at one of the boxes instead.

“I’m okay with it.” Jack told him.

 “Of course you are. We’re counting on their stupidity and heteronormativity to keep this secret a little while longer.” Bitty smiled. “I’m talking about the fact that they still haven’t guessed that maybe the person you’re pointing at was in a box tonight so you pointed there instead of to the cameras.”

“Yea I’m not sure why that hasn’t been suggested yet.” Jack agreed. “Maybe you should tweet it?”

“Mr. Zimmermann you stop your chirping!” Bitty exclaimed, slapping Jack’s pectorals lightly.

Jack just laughed. “Love you.” He whispered, pressing a kiss to Bitty’s head.

Bitty smiled, tilting his head to get another kiss from Jack. “Love you more.”

Jack rolled his eyes. “No. We are not channeling Shitty tonight.”

“I don’t know, Jack. It’s pretty Shitty that we’re sitting on the couch completely nude but for this wonderful blanket while we merely watch TV instead of doing something more entertaining.”

Jack smirked. “Then maybe we’ll just have to do something more entertaining.”

“Then entertain me, Mr. Zimmermann.” Bitty grinned.

“Always, Mr. Bittle.” Jack laughed.

 

* * *

 

The entire season goes this way. Whenever Bitty has to watch from Samwell, whether it’s because it’s a roadie or just a home game Bitty couldn’t make, Jack points at the camera when he scores. But when Bitty is there, in the arena in Providence, not only does Jack score at least one goal in those games, but he always points to the boxes, where he knows Bitty is hiding with some of the other PR WAGS. And no one, absolutely no one, connects the dots to Bitty’s tweets about being at those games and watching Jack play. No one figures out, and soon the season comes to an end, and so does the pointing, with a difficult end in the playoffs. But Jack goes home with one thought to make his thoughts brighter, Bitty graduates soon and then he’ll be moving to Providence to live with Jack. The official story is that Jack’s helping an old teammate get on his feet as he starts his own bakery, but in reality Jack is ecstatic to have Bitty in his home and he is never going to get over waking up next to him every day. He doesn’t need to point when Bitty is right there, in front of him, with a smile and an overflow of love. And together, they make an important decision as pre-season starts up again months later. They’re going to tell the Falconers.

 

* * *

 

“Are you ready?” Bitty asks Jack with a smile.

Jack nodded. “Definitely.”

Bitty grinned, taking Jack’s hand and pulling him in for a tight hug before letting him go and pushing him gently towards the door. On the other side is all the Falconers, and the coaches, who have already been told what is about to happen.

Jack goes in nervous, but for the first time, he’s not anxious. He knows these guys. He knows they’ll be okay. And if not, he’ll leave. He has more than enough saved from two seasons alone to have time to find another job. But Bitty assured him that wouldn’t happen, and he knows Bitty is right. So he’s ready, not anxious.

“Hey guys.” Jack smiled.

“Zimboni.” Snowy grinned. “What’s up? Coach says you’ve got something to say.”

“Well.” Jack sighed. “I’m in a relationship.”

“That’s great.” Guy laughed. “But why do you need us to know that?”

“Because it’s with a guy.” Jack told him, simple and to the point. “His name is Eric. I played with him in college and I honestly think I want to marry him some day but he just graduated and I don’t want him to have to settle for a small wedding when he deserves a loud one just because I’m in the closet still so if we could win the Cup this year, that’d be really awesome because I’d love to come out after we win it all.”

The room was silent for a long moment until Snowy stood up.

“Well, that was an excellent way to start the season.”

The team chuckled.

“We’re got your back.” Snowy smiled, clapping Jack on the shoulder. “It don’t matter who you love, so long as you still love hockey.”

“Thank you.” Jack sighed. “Now he’s here and he’s got pie and he’s no doubt itching to feed you all so give me one second.”

Jack darted from the room, picking Bitty up and spinning him around before pressing a kiss to his cheek.

Bitty just laughed. “Feel better?”

Jack nodded. “Much.”

“Good.” Bitty grinned. “Now grab some pie and help me feed these poor souls your diets are absolutely atrocious.”

 

* * *

 

Jack’s third season as a professional hockey player went pretty much exactly like the second. After every goal, he pointed to Bitty, whether through the cameras or to the boxes where he knew Bitty sat, (on the edge of his seat in case he needed to stand up and shout at the refs) and he only got better, knowing that every goal he got was for the man he loved. There were hundreds of videos on youtube and in other dark corners of the internet trying to piece together all the times Jack has pointed to discover who he was pointing at (someone eve theorized at one point that it was the cameraman he was pointing at but that theory was quickly squashed.) The commentators and the analysts could not believe how high his stats rose from the first to the third season. Everyone asked Jack and the team what was going on but everyone always responded in the exact same way. A wide grin and the declaration that with the right motivation, anything is possible. It was driving everyone nuts but the team was just eating it up. The publicity of having the most talked about celly in hockey was doing them a lot of good in the merch store. They even have shirts and bobbleheads of Jack pointing. (Shitty bought five of them and posed them all over Jack’s kitchen, pointing at the oven.) The coaches avoided all talk of the celly, instead focusing on Jack’s rising stats and the fact that once again, the Falconers were going to be playing for the Stanley Cup.

 

* * *

 

“I can’t believe my boyfriend is playing for the Stanley Cup.” Bitty grinned over the home-cooked meal they were using to celebrate their anniversary, seeing as they couldn’t go out.

“Are you saying you doubted us?” Jack teased.

“Never!” Bitty exclaimed. “But Shits totally did.”

“Shitty has never doubted anything.” Jack rolled his eyes. “If you told him you could bake a rainbow into a pie he’d probably just say that if anyone could do it, it’s you.”

“He totally would.” Bitty agreed. “How does it feel?”

“Unreal?” Jack questioned.

“Playing for the Cup or that the Falconers are picked to win?”

“Everything.” Jack sighed. “The Cup, the team’s acceptance, _you_.”

“Oh sugar.” Bitty sighed. “You’ll always have me. No matter what happens next week with that game, I will always be at your side. Even if my side has to be kept in the shadows.”

“But I don’t want you to have to live in the shadows.” Jack bowed his head, obviously upset by that thought. “Bits, I want you to be able to be out and proud. That’s why you came to the north, to be free of the stigma of the south and now you’re with me and you _still_ have to hide.”

Bitty got up immediately, moving around the table to clamber into Jack’s lap. “Jack Laurent Zimmermann you stop this worrying ‘bout me.” He ordered. “I knew going into this relationship that you were going to be playing pro hockey and that we would have to hide. You can ask Shitty, I talked with him for hours about it after we told him that first season. I loved watching you play and I wanted so bad to say that you were mine but you needed these years to prove to them and to yourself that you can play at this level. And you _can_. I know you can. So I want you to go out there next week and score me a fucking hat trick. Okay? Can you do that? Get me a hat trick and win that Cup and we will never have to hide in the shadows again. George has already given us permission to do it if you win. And you _will_. Because I believe in you. I always will. No matter what.”

Jack nodded, settling his forehead on Bitty’s shoulder. “I love you.”

“I love you too.” Bitty smiled fondly, reaching up to tangle his fingers in Jack’s overgrown playoff mop of hair. “I always will. Never doubt that.”

 

* * *

 

The following week, Jack and the rest of the team were sitting in the locker room, quietly getting ready for arguably the most important game of the season.

“Alright!” Snowy called, getting everyone’s attention. “Just so everyone is aware, when we win tonight, I’ll be going up to get the Cup. The first person I am going to be passing it off to is my alternate captain and the wonderful baker’s boyfriend Zimboni here, so that he can do his thing and tell the world about his relationship with the worlds’ best baker. Everyone got it?”

There were murmurs of assent throughout the locker room and Snowy nodded. “Good. Now suit the fuck up so we can go kick some ass.”

The team roared with approval and Jack found himself grinning. It was time to prove to the world that he was not meant to be known only as his father’s son.

 

* * *

 

The team did exactly that and Jack did as ordered. He scored a hat trick, one goal in each period, and each goal was sent straight along to Bitty, sitting in the box with Georgia while the two of them solidified the plans for after the game. They were all ready to go when the buzzer sounded at the end of the third period and the Falconers gathered around Jack and their Captain in the biggest celly of the year. They just won the Stanley Cup.

George immediately started helping Bitty get down to the locker room and through the tunnel to the Falconers’ bench. They had to move quick to get there in time.

Jack grinned on the ice when the celly finally broke up and he saw Bitty sitting there, on the bench, wearing a Falconer Zimmermann jersey, a Samwell hat, and a massive grin. They were both ready for this.

When the team gathered on the ice to wait for the Cup to come out, Snowy came up to him.

“You ready for this?” He asked.

Jack nodded. “Definitely.”

“And you’re sure about coming out like this?”

“I’ve waited plenty long for this.”

Snowy grinned. “Well alright then. Let’s break a million hearts.”

After the Cup finally came up and Snowy was called over to take it, Jack looked over at Bitty, who grinned and waved.

Jack nodded. They were both ready for this.

Snowy called Jack forward, holding the Cup over his head.

Jack reached up, as if to take the cup, but shook his head and lowered them again. “Him.” He declared, knowing someone read his lips as he pointed towards Bitty. “It belongs to him.”

Snowy looked over, as if having no idea what was going on, and grinned. He nodded and skated away, taking the Cup with him over to Bitty, who was supposed to look confused but instead just looked ecstatic.

“Your turn.” Snowy grinned, holding the Cup out.

Bitty took the Cup with a grin, easily holding it above his head before lowering it enough to kiss it, as is tradition. After, he raised it back up and looked to Jack, jerking his head to call him over.

Jack slid over smoothly, reaching up to grab the Cup. “You kiss the Cup but not me?” Jack smirked.

“Well come here and I’ll kiss you too.” Bitty grinned.

Jack’s smirk widened into a grin and he leaned forward, connecting his lips to Bitty’s under the shared weight of hockey’s greatest trophy.   The stadium was going nuts, the announcers didn’t know how to react, and the Falconers just wolf-whistled and cheered on their teammate.

After what felt like an eternity but was in actuality only a few seconds, the two of them parted, matching grins splitting their faces.

“Love you.” Bitty mouthed.

“Love you more.” Jack mouthed back. With that, he turned away and took the cup back to his teammates, passing it off to Tater who hoisted it high for all to see.

“You did it.” Snowy said, coming up next to him. “How’s it feel?”

Jack sighed. “Amazing.”

“Good.” Snowy nodded. “Because it’s going to a shitstorm when we step off this ice.”

“I’ll brave it all for him.” Jack declared. “Always.”

Snowy smiled. “You’re a good man Zimmermann, even if you do have a crap celly.”

 

* * *

 

Snowy was right, it was a shitstorm, but luckily for them, Georgia was the best and she protected them from the worst of it all. In the following weeks Jack did an interview with Out Magazine and an interview with Ellen, that was it. Bitty joined him for Ellen, refusing to miss out on meeting her, and that made it even better. And besides, Ellen asked the one question everyone wanted to know the answer to: why the pointing?

“Well,” Jack shrugged when she asked. “He asked me to score for him. So I did. And I had to make sure he knew it was for him, no one else. I spent years focusing on being better for others and it destroyed me, sent me flying into addiction and an overdose that could have ended my life then and there. Instead, I lived. And now, I do what I love every day and I get paid honestly obscene amounts of money for it, and I’m doing okay. I’m surviving. But that is in part to the fact that I also get to wake up every morning next to the most wonderful and beautiful and kind man the world will ever know. I can’t give him the same perfection, I know I will never reach perfection because no one truly can, but I love him and I want to give him everything I can. So I give him a state-of-the-art kitchen and all the love I can muster up. But I also got the chance to give him something not many others can: a hat trick in the final game of the Stanley Cup playoffs. And I want him to know that it’s all because of him. So I point to him, no matter where he is, in the box, on the bench or at home on the couch, and I smile to let him know that because of him, I’m doing alright.”

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: I know nothing about hockey so I tried to use as little actual hockey stuff as I could but some was necessary so forgive me if its horribly wrong. I tried.


End file.
